Nurse Turnover in 2026: What Hospitals Need to Know
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Nurse turnover is climbing again. The latest NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report puts the national RN turnover rate at 17.6% in 2025 — up 1.2 points from the year before, reversing recent gains.
For hospital leaders trying to stabilize their workforce, here’s what’s happening and how smart staffing fits in.
What the Data Shows
- Turnover is up. National RN turnover hit 17.6% in 2025, up from 16.4%.
- Hiring is slowing. The 2.9% add rate is nearly half what it was the prior year.
- Vacancies linger. One in three hospitals reports a 10%+ RN vacancy rate, and the average time to recruit an experienced RN is 78 days.
- High-acuity units hurt most. Behavioral health (22.5%), ED (20.7%), telemetry (19.5%), and step down (19%) all sit above the national average.
The Real Cost
- $61,110 to replace a single bedside RN.
- $289,000 in annual cost or savings for every 1% change in turnover at the average hospital.
- Ripple effects. Overtime, burnout, slower throughput, and lower HCAHPS scores compound the direct hit.
How Smart Travel Staffing Helps Retention
Used strategically, travel staffing isn’t the opposite of retention — it’s one of the tools that enables it.
- Relieves pressure on core staff so burnout doesn’t drive the next wave of departures.
- Bridges the 78-day recruitment gap so positions don’t sit empty.
- Stabilizes high-turnover units like ED, telemetry, and behavioral health.
- Creates a pipeline as many travelers convert to permanent hires.
The Bottom Line
Turnover in 2026 is structural, not cyclical. The hospitals that weather it best treat retention as a strategic priority and use travel staffing thoughtfully to absorb the gaps.
If your facility is working through staffing gaps or looking for a more reliable travel staffing partner, reach out anytime.
